Notre Dame will take on Arkansas, but ESPN’s College GameDay had plenty of other options to be in attendance, and they’re in State College as the Oregon Ducks take on the Penn State Nittany Lions.
The regular crew of Desmond Howard, Nick Saban, Pat McAfee, and Kirk Herbstreit were joined by Nittany Lions linebacker legend LaVar Arrington to make the picks of the biggest games of the day. Find out below who each of them picked to win the biggest games along with Notre Dame at Arkansas.
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No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes at Washington Huskies
Teammates celebrate a touchdown by Ohio State Buckeyes tight end Max Klare (86) during the NCAA football game against the Ohio Bobcats at Ohio Stadium on Sept. 13, 2025. Ohio State won 37-9.
Howard – Ohio State
Saban – Ohio State
Arrington – Washington
McAfee – Ohio State
Herbstreit – Ohio State
Arizona Wildcats at No. 14 Iowa State Cyclones
Iowa State Cyclones defense celebrates after a fourth down stop as clinched win 16-13 over Iowa in the Cy-Hawk football at Jack Trice Stadium on Sept. 6, 2025, in Ames, Iowa
Howard – Iowa State
Saban – Iowa State
Arrington – Iowa State
McAfee – Iowa State
Herbstreit – Iowa State
No. 21 USC Trojans at No. 23 Illinois Fighting Illini
Sep 20, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) following the victory against the Michigan State Spartans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Howard – USC
Saban – USC
Arrington – USC
McAfee – Illinois
Herbstreit – USC
No. 11 Indiana Hoosiers at Iowa Hawkeyes
Sep 20, 2025; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers linebacker Quentin Clark (40) and Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Elijah Sarratt (13) celebrate after defeating the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images
Howard – Indiana
Saban – Indiana
Arrington – Iowa
McAfee – Indiana
Herbstreit – Indiana
No. 22 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Arkansas Razorbacks
Notre Dame wide receiver Jordan Faison (6) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the second half of a NCAA football game against Purdue at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in South Bend.
Howard – Notre Dame
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Saban – Notre Dame
Arrington – Notre Dame
McAfee – Notre Dame
Herbstreit – Notre Dame
No. 15 Tennessee Volunteers at Mississippi State Bulldogs
Sep 20, 2025; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers defensive back Kaleb Beasley (10) celebrates after returning a fumble for a touchdown against the UAB Blazers during the second half at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images
Howard – Mississippi State
Saban – Tennessee
Arrington – Tennessee
McAfee – Tennessee
Herbstreit – Tennessee
Auburn Tigers at No. 9 Texas A&M Aggies
Texas A&M tight end Nate Boerkircher (87) celebrates after scoring a touchdown to tie the game in the second half of a NCAA football game against Notre Dame at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025, in South Bend. The extra point scored after this touchdown put Texas A&M ahead 41-40 to win the game.
Howard – Texas A&M
Saban – Texas A&M
Arrington – Texas A&M
McAfee – Texas A&M
Herbstreit – Texas A&M
No. 4 LSU Tigers at No. 13 Ole Miss Rebels
Sep 20, 2025; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels defensive back Cedrick Beavers (13) dunk on a basketball goal after an interception during the fourth quarter against the Tulane Green Wave at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
Howard – Ole Miss
Saban – LSU
Arrington – Ole Miss
McAfee – Ole Miss
Herbstreit – LSU
No. 17 Alabama Crimson Tide at No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs
Sep 13, 2025; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Georgia Bulldogs tight end Lawson Luckie (7) reacts after the game against Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Alan Poizner-Imagn Images
Howard – Georgia
Saban – Alabama
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Arrington – Georgia
McAfee – Georgia
Herbstreit – no pick
No. 6 Oregon Ducks at No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions
Sep 13, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions running back Kaytron Allen (13) runs with the ball which would result in a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Villanova Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images
Howard – Oregon
Saban – Penn State
Arrington – Penn State
McAfee – Penn State
Herbstreit – Penn State
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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: ESPN College GameDay picks Notre Dame at Arkansas and top Week 5 games